Brave
by Tale Finder
Summary: Alex clearly has feelings for Lara but will he be brave enough to act on them? And will she return those feelings? Chapter one takes place on the Endurance, chapter two on Yamatai.
1. Chapter 1

**Well hello guys! Welcome to my story.**

**First off I got to confess that I'm kind of a newbie to the Tomb Raider fandom. I played one of the games with my cousin when we were kids and we can't even remember which game it was. But when I got the new TR game I just couldn't stop playing it. It was awesome! And that's why I started looking for the old ones to play as well… So please excuse me if it's a little out of character.**

**Enough of talking now! Have fun reading **

**PS: I'm no native speaker so if you have any advice I'd be glad to get it…**

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Week 2 on The Endurance

"Lara!" Sam said while pulling her best friend's arm "hey Lara!"

"What is it Sam?" the girl asked without looking up from the book she has been reading.

"He's staring at you again" Sam stated.

"Who?"

"Alex!"

Now Lara looked up and searched the room for Alex, and Sam was right: the young man was just sitting there gazing over at her lost in his own thoughts.

"He's just thinking about something, I bet he doesn't even know that he's staring" Lara simply said and turned her attention back to her book praying that Sam would just drop the subject.

"I think he likes you!" Sam said with a big grin on her face.

"Sam! We're just friends!"

"Ah! So you like him too!" The young woman deducted with an even bigger grin "No wonder, he's sweet and kinda cute"

"Now you sound like _you_ like him" Lara said trying to make Sam the centre of the conversation rather than herself.

"Don't change the subject Lara Croft! You can't fool me"

"Sam please, just drop it okay?" Lara tried to sound annoyed. The only problem was she couldn't get annoyed about Sam.

"Hey Alex!" Sam suddenly called "Come sit with us over here!"

Alex who has been completely lost in his thoughts was a bit startled but then nodded and made his way over to them.

"Hello ladies!" he said and took a seat "What have you been up to?"

"Oh I'm just trying to get Lara here to put that book down for a while" Sam said.

"I see... What's it about?" he said, looking at Lara very interested.

"It's just another book about Yamatai. I'm starting to believe that it's somewhere inside the Dragon's Triangle" the young woman said "I just don't know if the others will be convinced of my theory"

"I would follow you everywhere" Alex blurted out without thinking. When the realisation of what he had said hit him he added: "I mean... I...I trust you Lara! And I know that you're good at your job. Yes"

_"Great Alex!" _a little voice in his head said _"Now you sound like a stalker! You creeped her out man!"_

But Lara just smiled.

"Thank you Alex!" she said. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, he just kept looking at her perfect face and her genuine smile.

"So, Alex!" said Sam, who has witnessed the whole scene "Tell me, you have a girlfriend back home?"

"No" he said and blushed a little.

"Sam! Leave him alone!"

"What?!" Sam answered smiling "I'm just getting to know him"

Yeah right, Sam had a plan of her own. And it was getting as much information out of Alex as possible.

"How come a nice guy like you doesn't have a pretty girl to date?"

"That's the problem Sam! I'm Mr. Nice Guy. I'm not 'dateable'. Pretty girls want bad boys, adventure and danger you know. I'm just a nerd. But I don't care. I only care about one stunningly beautiful girl" he finished saying looking at Lara who didn't seem to notice…

Later that day Sam and Lara were on deck. A crew member was taking some photos of them when Alex walked by.

"Hey Alex! Come here and take a picture with us" Lara said.

"Alright!" he said smiling, of course he wouldn't say no to Lara. So he took the spot between them, put a hand around Sam's shoulder and the other around Lara's and smiled to the camera. Suddenly he felt something soft on his cheek. It took him a moment to realise that it have been Lara's lips on his cheek. His whole body heated up and his breathing got faster.

"_Damn it Alex!" _he thought to himself **"**_It's only a kiss on the cheek from a friend! Keep you act together, don't embarrass yourself!"_

Lara could feel his heart beat a little faster under the hand she had been laying on his chest the moment she had kissed him, but she hadn't processed the whole thing at that moment.

And just as fast as it had happened it was over. The picture had been taken, Lara had removed herself from Alex and Sam had just been standing there and smiling. The young woman knew that something was up with her best friend and it had something to do with Alex. She planned to ask her about it when they were alone.

"So ladies, wanna take a walk with the nerd?" Alex asked after a while.

"Yeah why not" Lara said.

"You could tell us how you got that tattoo." Sam said and pointed at the ink on his neck.

"Ok then" he said smiling "It all started when…" and so the three young people walked around the ship, talking and laughing until it became dark.

Lara was lying in her bed when Sam walked in the room.

"Sweetie, Alex clearly likes you. And don't deny it, you like him as well."

"Come on Sam! Not this again" Lara said trying to sound annoyed "You're seeing things that aren't there, like always"

"Drop the act Lara, I know it when you're lying. I'm your best friend"

Lara looked desperate, Sam was…. Well she was just Sam, who knew how to push her buttons and make open up to her.

"Fine! Okay! You got me!" she said giving up "I like him, I think"

"Ha! I knew it!" Sam shouted and threw her hands up in triumph "But what do mean with 'I like him, _I think_'?"

"I…I just don't know Sam. Sometimes he's so hard to read." Lara said looking down.

"Are you kidding me right now? Any guy who wouldn't be crazy about you IS crazy, like mentally unstable crazy!" Sam said.

"Really?"

"Damn girl! You really need to build a little confidence. I mean look at you! You're every guy's dream!"

"Thank you Sam, you're the best best friend I've ever had" Lara said smiling.

"Yeah I know, I'm awesome!" Sam said beaming with pride "So what are you going to do about your crush?"

"I don't know yet but there's no need to rush things. I still have enough time " Lara said and lay back in her bed.

Little did she know that soon she will find herself trapped on a cursed island, fighting for her life and the lives of her friends. And that she'll be their only chance to leave that dark place.

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** So that was it, the first chapter. I've already started on chapter two so if you want to know how the story will end just stick around a little while longer…**

**Please leave some reviews **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! Sorry it took me long to update but I was away for a couple of days with my family…So, I wanted to thank all who have read my story, those who added it as their favorite, and of course those who reviewed! **

**Here is chapter two for you. Have fun reading!**

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It was a starless night on the beach of Yamatai. The only light was provided by the moon which was shining down on the shipwreck beach and the campfire that has been setup by a group of survivors.

Alex was sitting against an old tree branch just looking into the flames. He was numb. He was so tired he couldn't even feel the pain of his injured leg anymore. The past few hours were kind of blurry in his memory. He could remember being on the Endurance looking for the tools for Reyes but then his foot got stuck under a pipe. He could also remember that Lara came looking for him and then those shitty bastards started shooting at them. He had told Lara that she should take the tools and leave. But she didn't. She had saved him. Again. He couldn't remember how she did it, he was just thankful that she hadn't given up on him. So he just stopped thinking about the 'how'.

Alex looked over at Lara. She was sitting across of him, with her arms around her knees and looking at him.

"What?!" he asked with a smile.

"I'm just watching over you" she said "How's your leg?"

"It hurts from time to time"

"You want me to take a look at it?" she asked.

"Sure, if you want" he said, although he didn't want Lara to take care of him. He wanted to take care of her! She was the reason they survived this long on this goddamned island. She should rest as well but Lara kept refusing. That woman was just amazing. He had always thought so and in the last few days she had only proven it. She had put herself in danger for them over and over again. She was ready to sacrifice herself for anyone of them anytime, maybe even for that jackass Whitman. And this was exactly what made her even more out of his league. She was a freaking hero! And what was he? An electronics nerd who can't even get the tools on his own. She sure as hell wouldn't notice him now.

The feeling of her hand cutting the leg of his trousers open with an arrow brought him back to reality.

"Well, this looks…" she started after getting a closer look at his injury.

"Gross!" he finished her sentence.

""I wouldn't put it quit that way but it certainly doesn't look good" she said looking at him, but he suddenly started to laugh.

"What?" she asked confused.

"I don't know! You just make everything, even the most disgusting things, sound so elegant with your accent" he said between laughs.

"Well, thank you I guess" Lara said joining in on his laughter praying that he wouldn't see the blush that had been spreading on her face.

"Alex, I'm going to have to clean your wound" Lara started after she had taken a closer look at his leg.

"With what?" he asked curious.

"I have an idea but it's going to be painful" with these words she stood up, took an empty cup that had been lying on the floor near the fire and walked toward the shore.

"_Oh I'm going to like this!"_ Alex thought to himself.

It had only taken her a minute to fill the cup and so she made her way back to Alex who started to look pale.

"I'm going to pour sea water over your wound to clean it" she said "Now this is going to hurt, so you might want to hold my hand" she added with a rather reassuring smile on her lips.

"_Ok Alex! Don't be a pussy! Be a man!"_ a voice in his head said. So he closed his eyes, took Lara's hand and braced himself for the pain.

Lara took his actions as a sign and poured the content of the cup on his injured leg. His body immediately tensed and he squeezed her hand hard trying not to scream out.

""Holy Batman!" Alex shouted as he couldn't keep it in. Lara was just amused over his choice of words.

"Holy Batman?!" she asked grinning.

"It slipped out," Alex said "I lost control. Pain does things to a man"

"_Great dude! Now you're an even bigger nerd in her eyes!"_

"It's okay Alex, I think Batman is cool!" she said smiling.

"You do?" he couldn't believe his ears. He had something in common with _the_ Lara Croft, his crush. God! This was like High school all over again.

"Now let me get you patched up"

She worked in silence, being careful not to hurt him more than he already was. Alex just watched over her looking at her small delicate hands, how they moved precisely and fast yet careful and kind. Those little hands which should have never been used to carry weapons or kill! Life was unfair he thought but sometimes we need to cross a line in order to survive…

When she finished she quietly returned to her spot across him and started to scan her surroundings over and over again.

"Hey L.C" he said quietly, it was barely a whisper.

But she had heard him and whispered back "Yeah?"

"Come here, I gotta tell you something" he said hoping that she would accept his offer. He smiled and nodded as if he was saying that it's okay to let her guard down for a moment. And she did, she made her way over to him and sat down. She was so close now he could hear her breathing.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my sorry ass, twice now"

"You would've done the same Alex" she said looking into the flames.

"No Lara, I don't know if I could have done what you did" he said with all honesty "I'm not like you Lara. I'm no warrior. I'm not a hero. Hell I couldn't even get the fucking tools on my own!"

"Alex..." she mouthed barely audible.

"Please Lara" he cut her off "please let me finish"

So she did, she sat there quietly and waited for him to be ready to continue.

"You know, you're my hero Lara. I know that if anyone is getting us off this goddamned island it's you" It just came out of him. Pouring his heart out to her was so relieving. Just talking, letting it all out was great! "I've never been brave Lara. You are brave, you're one of the bravest people I know" he continued and looked at the young woman. She had been listening to him very carefully, it made him happy to know that he is being heard.

"The only brave thing I did was spending two days playing a videogame, killing zombies without saving the game until I got to the last level. But this place, this place changes people. I made a pact with myself, that if I get off the Endurance alive with the tools for Reyes I would start to be brave. Just like you Lara"

When she turned her head to him, he just leaned in and captured her lips with his. It was just a brief moment before he removed himself and looked at her. She had shock written all over her face.

"_Oh! This can't be good!"_ he thought.

"That… That was brave" she said before closing the distance between them, and so she was kissing him, running her hands through his hair. He smiled against her lips. He was just so damn happy, after all he was kissing his dream girl. He put his hands around her waist and brought her even closer to his body, he didn't want to let go of her ever again. Her lips were so soft and sweet, even his wildest dreams couldn't be compared to the real thing. His heart started to beat faster as well as hers. Lara's tongue brushed his lips begging for entrance which he allowed…

They would've stayed like this for ever if they could but they had to break apart for the need of oxygen but they wouldn't let go of each other. Alex rested his forehead on hers and slowly stroke her cheek leaving her skin on fire.

"Holy Batman!" Lara said breathlessly while blushing because she got so passionate so fast. That young man as doing things to her!

"Indeed" he chuckled "I should've done that sooner but I was afraid that you wouldn't like me like that"

"Alex, it's okay. And don't worry. I like you, a lot" she said leaning in to kiss him again…

"You look tired Lara" he stated after a while.

"I am" she confessed "But I got to stay awake and watch over all of you"

"You have to rest. Give your body the chance to strengthen again. You'll need the energy" Alex said.

"But…"

"No buts" he cut her off "You lie down for a bit and I'll take care of the whole watching over thing" he smiled reassuringly.

She just nodded and lay down putting her head in his lap. Alex put his arms protectively on her body.

"Sleep well Lara" he whispered "I love you"

But she couldn't hear those three words. She had already fallen asleep. Alex has been right, she was terribly exhausted. All that fighting, running, jumping and the constant adrenaline rushes drained her. Good thing that Alex was there for her and finally got the chance to take care of her…

"So that's what it takes her?!" Sam mumbled to herself as she had been watching the two from afar "It takes a cursed island for her to finally get herself a boyfriend" the young woman rolled her eyes yet smiling and laid down, closing her eyes to get some rest as well.

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**So, I gotta confess that I never planned on killing Alex. He's just too cute to die haha! **

**The whole point of writing this fanfic was to let him live. I've never been so sad and frustrated about the death of a fictional character. Well, except while reading the last Harry Potter book…**

**And I really believe that Camilla Luddington made everything sound elegant, even the whole swearing part! I hope she does the voiceover again in the next TR game.**

**If you guys want a third chap, let me know. I already have a few ideas.**

**Please leave some reviews haha that would mean a lot!**

**Until the next time readers!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took me so long guys! A writer's block is just a nasty little thing!**

**I wanted to thank you all for reviewing and following this story and all, it really means so much to me… A special thank goes out to ****dragonslayer627****: dude, you're like my idol here. Thank you so much for your advice, I really hope I did better in this chapter.**

**Last but not least, this chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Daly. You're the best non biological brother in the world!**

**Enjoy!**

**PS: It's a little short, but I promise I will make up for it in the next one.**

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When she woke up it was still dark. Even though she had only slept a few hours, it had been the most restful and peaceful hours of sleep she had experienced since her arrival on Yamatai. Maybe it had something to do with the young man gazing down at her and slowly stroking her hair.

"Hey sleepyhead."

"Hey…" A smile crossed her face as she stood up and stretched. "Thank you for watching over me Alex."

"Anytime." He said with a grin "Can I get a kiss as a thank?"

He put on his best puppy dog look and smiled up at her hopefully. Lara took his hand, made him stand up and put her lips on his. Even though it had been only a brief moment, he felt the butterflies in his stomach going crazy. Alex still couldn't believe that the _Lara Croft_ liked him back!

"So, what now?" he asked.

"Back to business I guess. Let's look for the others."

And so they made their way over to the group...

Reyes had started working on the boat again which woke Sam up. Dr. Whitman just had been standing around as if he was waiting on something, nervously. And Jonah had been working on getting some food ready.

"Reyes! Come here to eat!" He called after finishing "Ah, Lara my little bird! You're just in time for dinner? Breakfast? Whatever…"

Reyes made her way back to camp with a dark expression on her face. She was tired as well; she had been working on that boat almost all night long. She just had to fix it, make it work so she could return to her daughter. The only thing left living for.

"Sit down for a while Reyes" Jonah said ready to start eating "Those bastards went quiet for a while but that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. If I'm going to die in this place, I'm not going to do it hungry"

The survivors settled around the camp fire and ate silently. Whitman kept reading in his journal as if he couldn't get enough of his own writings.

"_He's the biggest jerk I know"_ Alex thought while witnessing the scene.

"Once Reyes finishes that boat we will be back in civilization in no time" Whitman said, closing his journal and putting it back in his bag "And what a tale we'll have to tell" he added smugly.

"A tale? I hope I never hear Himiko's name again." Sam said.

"We can take that boat out high tide" Reyes explained.

"No we can't …"

But Reyes cut Lara off "Don't start that bullshit again, Lara!"

"Lara isn't the only one who thinks we're trapped here Reyes. Mathias and the Soralii believe it as well. Mathias may be insane but he was certain about it"

"Sam is right. Something feels totally messed up here." Alex said.

"So, now you have an opinion Alex? Or do you just have to play the supportive man in front of your girl" Reyes started to get more pissed off than she already was and that could become dangerous.

"That has nothing…" he shot back but was cut off by Jonah.

"Stop it! As I've already said, if we fight amongst ourselves, we lose. I feel it too. There's something dark, something alive. This place is cursed"

"Mathias thinks that resurrecting Himiko is the key off this island" Whitman informed the group.

"These storms aren't natural we have to face that" Lara said while standing up and taking her bow.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"There are runes beneath an old base in the cliffs. Something in there led them to believe they could control the storms. I've got to find out what they've discovered." She explained.

Without even looking at her, Reyes said "Once we're ready to leave, we're leaving"

Lara couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Hey!" Alex started, but decided against fighting with the woman.

"Don't worry Lara, I won't leave without you" Sam said and hugged her best friend "Just be safe"

Lara started walking away when Alex caught up with her.

"I'm coming with you" He answered upon seeing her questioning look.

"What about your leg?"

"It's fine" he assured her "You took good care of it. Besides, you said it's an old research base so maybe you could use my electronic skills"

"Fine! Do you have your weapons?" she asked.

"Always" he said pointing at his gun and knife.

"Okay then, let's do it"

After climbing numerous walls and taking out several Solarii they finally made it to the research base.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Alex asked.

"I don't know yet. Anything they could tell us about the origin of those storms"

They quietly walked through knee deep water and climbed up yet another wall until they got to some sort of an old office. Voices were audible in the far. The voices got louder the closer the duo got.

"Oh shit, look at those bodies!" They heard a man saying.

"Keep it down!" A second man shot back "The Oni are here."

Lara turned to face Alex who had been standing closely behind her.

"Shhh! Just stay calm!" She whispered and slowly moved forward.

"Just shut up and keep your eyes open for the girl" That had been one of the Solarii speaking.

"_She has made herself quite a reputation!"_ Alex thought proudly while following Lara and taking cover behind an old, dust filled desk. It took Lara only a few seconds to take out one of the men. With a swift movement of her hand she shot an arrow right in the bastard's throat. Alex took that as a sign and did the same, putting a bullet right between the eyes of the other one.

Lara looked at him impressed. "Nice shot Alex!"

"Well I guess the constant need of survival makes you good at things, sadly even killing people."

She could see the sadness in his eyes as he told her that. She could understand him. Killing takes something away from you, a part of your soul, your heart. There will always be that black spot that stays with you for the rest of your life…

"Look, there's a camp" Alex said after examining the room "I think we should rest a moment"

She just nodded sat down. She started to inspect her weapons, one after the other. While checking the ammo of his own pistol, Alex started speaking.

"You're not going to use that boat to get off this island, am I right?"

"How did you…" she questioned but got cut off by Alex.

"I listen; I notice things about you Lara"

Lara blushed a bit but then started explaining. "I believe that the answers to all this are in the ritual chamber of that monastery. I just don't know how the hell I'm going to convince the others to take the boat inland rather than off this island."

"Don't worry Lara! I got your back, we'll find a way."

"Ryes won't be easy. She wants to get back to her daughter."

"And she's in pain over Roth." Alex finished her sentence.

"We all are…" Lara sighted.

Alex shifted closer to her and put a reassuring arm around her. He knew she was in pain. Loosing Roth was like losing her father all over again.

"I still don't understand why Mathias wanted Sam in the first place…" She said.

"It doesn't matter Lara, she's back with us now."

"Yeah, you're right. She's safe."

Lara then stood up and adjusted her bow saying "Come on. We better keep moving."

Alex nodded in approval and followed her…

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**So, I hope you liked this chapter even though it wasn't my best….**

**R&R please!**

**Ok, this now has nothing to do with this fanfic but I need to get this out because the guys at home don't care much about my "not so important thoughts"**

**My favourite lines in TR are:**

"**That's right! Run you bastards! ****I'm coming for you all!**_**"**_

_**And "**_**I'll show you what this little rat can do!"**

**Until next time readers!**


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